Our student support team has also been busy working behind the scenes to help make sure students are getting the support they need. We started class profile meetings with each teacher to review the strengths and needs in each class. Then, we will meet as a team to determine the best ways to meet the needs of all of our diverse learners. For some classes this may look like additional literacy support from one of our literacy support teachers or support from one of our learning support teachers to work with small math groups. Our support team includes:

Learning Support Teachers - Glenda Maendel (K,1), Amanda Bilevicius (2,3/4), Katrina Hamilton (3,4)

Literacy Support Teachers- April Harder (1, 3, 3/4B,3/4D), Katherine Peters (2,4,3/4A, 3/4M)

Guidance Counsellors - Sandy Caners (K,1,2,3/4), Katrina Hamilton (3.4)

Monica Martens - Instructional Coach

Our school division also offers clinical services including speech and language pathology, educational psychology, occupational therapy, and social work services. Our support team manages these caseloads and helps decide which students are in need of clinical services.

If you feel that your child is struggling academically or emotionally, please reach out to his/her teacher. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call either one of us at the school.

Karen Fraser and Tara Reimer

DOES YOUR CHILD STRUGGLE WITH SELF REGULATION?

You may be hearing about self regulation these days and wonder if it’s the same as self control. Self control is about inhibiting or managing strong impulses and behaviours in the moment. We all know how hard it can be to have self control at all times. Self regulation is about recognizing stress and tension in our bodies and reducing it so our bodies and minds can be calm. In fact, self regulation is what makes self-control possible, or, in many cases unnecessary.

Does your child:

• act overly silly or ‘out of control’

• have tantrums or meltdowns

• struggle with transitions between activities

• have difficulty waiting or taking turns

• struggle with being in close proximity to others

• move too quickly or with too much force

• grab, throw or touch things impulsively

• have difficulty walking or waiting in line

• have difficulty with social interactions (talk too loudly, standing too close, touching others, etc)

How can you help your child develop self regulation?

There are calming techniques, self awareness exercises, mindfulness activities and games that can help build skills, but the most POWERFUL way to help your child develop self regulation is by managing your own stress - or self regulating - yourself. Childrens’ nervous systems automatically respond to the tension and energy they feel in the adults that are caring for them. When you have a lot of stress, your children can feel it and it impacts their nervous system. Their body feels your stress and it may come out in behaviours as mentioned above. In the same way, when your body is calm, and your interactions with your child are calm (even when they have made a poor choice), they can feel that too. In these conditions it is much more likely that they will learn to regulate themselves with you. This is called co-regulation.

So when you can, try to pay attention to your body’s signals of stress. Are your shoulders tight? Headaches? Tight jaw muscles? Stomach aches? Fatigued? Do you have emotional outbursts? Can’t sleep? Figure out what you need to manage your stress and bring yourself back to a place of calm before engaging with your child. When your child is acting out and cannot seem to ‘get control’, consider seeing it as stress behaviour instead of misbehaviour, and do what you can to reduce their stress. Do they need attention? Help? Food? Sleep? To be heard? To feel emotionally safe? To feel loved? Try to give them what they really need and you will see the unwanted behaviour melt away.

And what your child needs most is to feel your loving, calm presence.

UNDER STRESS WE ALL REGRESS

Sandy Caners and Katrina Hamilton

“You’re never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book, and read to a child” Dr. Suess

Hi! I’m Mrs. Katherine Peters. Mrs. April Harder and I are literacy support teachers here at Woodlawn. We have the pleasure of sharing about reading and writing with you each month in this newsletter.

One of my favourite things to do with my boys each day is curl up together with a good book. We’ve enjoyed many wonderful books this way, often books that they couldn’t read yet. I read to them or they read to me, it doesn’t matter. There’s no pressure or expectation during this time. Reading aloud is a perfect way to enjoy books with your child, no matter where they are at in their learning to read journey.

What do you do?

1. Find a book that your child will enjoy

2. Find or create a cozy spot

3. Find a good time each or most days to read together

How can you find books that your child will enjoy?

*Ask your child. They might already like a particular book or series or can tell you about a particular interest you can pursue together

*Go to the public library with your child. They might like just browsing the aisles or you could ask the librarians for suggestions - they are awesome at helping kids find great books.

*Try an app to read and listen on-line such as Libby (free with your library card).

*Get ideas from Brightly, Reading Rockets, Goodreads or other websites and apps.

*Ask your child’s teacher or other parents for ideas.

*Consider reading the books that YOU loved as a child with your kiddo.

* Keep in mind that children often enjoy non-fiction books as much as or even more than fiction. Be open to exploring all kinds of books.

I hope that you and your child will discover a new book or author or series that your family will love reading together!

Mrs. Peters

Every month, I will add something in our newsletter about numeracy. Numeracy and mathematics can be a beautiful subject, filled with patterns and possibilities. I thought I would start with a personal story on my journey in finding the joy of mathematics. Growing up, I thought to be good at math I needed to be fast, get the right answer, and show my work exactly how my teachers demonstrated it. I valued speed at the cost of taking the time to come to a deep understanding of concepts. Over many years as an educator, I have learned to value how much more numeracy is. Students need time to explore number concepts and other mathematical concepts conceptually. They need to have time to play with ideas through problem solving and inquiry. We want students to be able to understand why and how number concepts work, to be able to justify, explain, and represent their thinking to their peers and adults, and to be flexible and fluent in their mathematical thinking.

Mrs. Tara Reimer

We just observed the first Orange Shirt Day where schools closed in honour of those who went to Indian Residential Schools. I hope your family found a way to honour survivors and their stories. Do you know how the Truth and Reconciliation process in Canada came about? A group of residential school survivors took the Canadian government to court in the largest class action in Canada to date. The survivors settled out of court with the federal government and four national churches. Part of the settlement agreement was the creation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). The TRC process was paid for, organized, and initiated by residential school survivors! Listen to Murray Sinclair (Apple podcasts/Spotify), one of the commissioners of the TRC, talk about the process and where we are now. He's an incredible orator and it's always an honour to listen to him speak.

Mrs. Monica Martens

A reminder that parents are expected to self-screen their children every day before sending them to school. Children who are sick must stay at home and follow the advice of public health before they return to school. We thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Most school bus fatalities occur when children are outside the bus and 75% of these fatalities involve children under the age of nine.

Things Parents Should Know About Bus Safety

• School buses are the safest form of transportation
• The most dangerous part of the bus ride is getting on and off the bus
• Young children are most likely to be struck because they:
  
• Hurry to get on and off the bus
• Act before they think and have little experience with traffic
• Assume motorists will see them
• Don't always stay within the sight of the driver
  

Things Children Should Know About Bus Safety

• Stand back from the curb
• NEVER run to or from the bus
• NEVER try to pick up something that has fallen under the bus
• Stay in your seat and sit quietly so that the driver is not distracted
• Wait for the driver's signal and then cross in FRONT of the bus

Fire Prevention Week begins on Sunday October 3, 2021 and the Office of the Fire Commissioner website has been updated with all Fire Prevention Week – “Serve Up Fire Safety in the Kitchen!” material.

The Brochure is available in English and French and children Kindergarden to Grade 4 can complete the entry form either on-line or hard copy and submit it to the Office of the Fire Commissioner by fax, email or mail. The deadline date is November 13, 2020. Once again, there will be five draws, one for each grade level. Each draw is for a $200.00 LEGO Store Gift Card.

Please visit the following link to our webpage:

https://firecomm.gov.mb.ca/safety_fpw.html

Since this past Monday, Public Service Announcements on kitchen safety have been playing on radio stations throughout Manitoba and will continue until October 18, 2020. Over the next couple of weeks, Fire Prevention Week messaging “Serve Up Fire Safety in the Kitchen!” will be going out on FaceBook and Twitter as well as the Manitoba Government page.

Visit Manitoba.ca to see the “Serve Up Fire Safety in the Kitchen!” banner that will be located on the lower right hand side of the page, and will link to the Office of the Fire Commissioner website.

Please feel free to forward this e-mail on to all who would benefit and to help us bring awareness of fire prevention in the kitchen and in the home during this important week.

We still have brochures available to send out, so let me know if you would like hard copies.

Thanks everyone, and good luck to all who enter the draw!

Kelly McLean

Municipal Support Officer/Public Education Officer

Office of the Fire Commissioner

1601 Van Horne Avenue East

Brandon MB R7A 7K2

1-888-253-1488

204-573-3739

www.firecomm.gov.mb.ca